Judge ‘allows Mel Gibson to keep visitation rights’

Mel Gibson has been allowed to retain visitation rights to see his baby daughter following a custody hearing on Thursday, according to reports.

The “Braveheart” star is currently fighting his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva’s bid to strip him of custody rights to their daughter Lucia, and the pair appeared at a Los Angeles court on Thursday morning to argue their case.

The Russian singer has recently accused the actor/director of knocking her teeth out during a fight in January, and the scandal was intensified by leaked recordings that appear to capture Gibson hurling abuse at his former lover.

However, the presiding judge overseeing the custody hearing decided to allow Gibson to keep his current agreement, which allows him to have daytime visits and one overnight stay a week, according to TMZ.com.

The website further reports Gibson’s legal team is fighting back with claims that Grigorieva tried to extort more than $10 million from the actor in exchange for the recorded tapes. Lawyers are allegedly preparing to meet Los Angeles police officials to present their evidence.

Gibson’s case was further strengthened on Thursday when his estranged wife, Robyn, wrote to the judge insisting he was never violent towards her and was “a wonderful father” to their seven children. She filed for divorce in 2009 after a three-year separation.